That about says it all. If I were certain that Happydad’s old phone (same model as mine) would last for a while, I’d just switch the number over. But I don’t remember if his phone was dying when he got his smartphone.
I remember Happykid’s slider phone with great fondness. Is there anything like that out there, or am I going to have to shell out for an iPhone SE?
There are places in my area, storefronts, that repair cell phones and also sell used ones. Might want to look around for that if you want something basic and inexpensive.
My dad(who refuses to have a smartphone) has bought a couple on ebay after they got more difficult to find.
The iPhone SE at $399 is far from the lowest cost smart phone.
Is it necessary to stay with Sprint, or is changing carriers an option? Some phones (e.g. many Nokia phones) are GSM only (T-Mobile, AT&T, or MVNOs that use T-Mobile or AT&T networks).
Do you have an old smartphone from family members? We gave my mom our old iphone 4s - and she uses it as a phone, but on wifi, sometimes uses facetime. Which is nice.
You can still get flip phones at places like Walmart.
The problem with really old phones is that they will just die because the companies aren’t producing software updates. A year ago I was still using my Galaxy III (it was 7+ years old). I just died (after flashing code like I was trying to launch a rocket). Before that, it wouldn’t hold a charge very well. Life is much different with a new phone, even for the simple things like making a call or getting a text.
Go for it. Upgrade to a smart-ish phone. You don’t have to buy a data plan if you don’t want to. My mother has a phone that cost about $100 (Costco) and she’s on my cell plan for $10/mo. She doesn’t have a data plan but can make calls and text.
You should look at the various carriers, some are offering free phones, others family plans. Also, if you have kids / family on the same bill, look at back to school offers.
Why wouldn’t you want a smart phone? Be smart. 
Get a smart phone.
But if you really don’t want that…you can get a Jitterbug!
The problem with older phones is that they do not support newer LTE bands. Tmobile will soon retire the old Sprint CDMA network and replace it with voice over LTE. I would look at a good multiband smart plone, such as a Moto G series (~220) or an Iphone SE (~400). Iphones are updated for 4-5 years, while Android phones are onlyupdated for around 2 yrs.
I have not had a flip phone for a while, but this discussion made me curious. Here’s an article with some suggestions - https://www.cellphones.ca/cell-phones/p/best-basic-phone-10094/
I agree. You could be on CC with your new iPhone SEII
Love my IPhone SE, but I choose not to use it for CC (or FB) . I prefer to do that on bigger screen on my chromebook, when I’m bored.
I do use the small SE for very many other things (besides text and phone):
-email (multiple accounts)
We have three lines on our family account with Sprint - which I gather now means it is T-Mobile. DH and DD both have iPhones, and DD has extra hot-spot power for hers. What I like best about my aging Sanyo flip phone is that it fits in my pocket. I don’t take enough photos with it to need a better camera, and I have plenty of other electronic devices for all the online stuff I do.
Thanks for all the ideas, and links! I like the idea of a small flip phone that can serve as a hot-spot and will check those models out.
But plans and networks will take time to merge. Eventually, Sprint CDMA will go away, so if you have a CDMA-only phone, it will eventually no longer work with T-Mobile’s GSM network. Many newer phones can do both GSM and CDMA; some, like many Nokia phones, do only GSM. Verizon also uses CDMA. AT&T and carriers in most other countries use GSM.
https://www.wired.com/story/t-mobile-sprint-merger-guide/
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/t-mobile-sprint-merger-faq,news-27098.html
https://www.androidauthority.com/t-mobile-sprint-merger-plans-921398/
https://www.cnet.com/news/t-mobile-and-sprint-are-one-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-mobile-mega-merger/
My smart phone fits in my back pockets. Even my flip phone didn’t fit in the front pockets of jeans.
My DH resisted ditching his old phone forever…until it was totally unsupported. Then he had no choice. He got a Moto X or Z I forget which one…and he has never looked back.
I have an IPhone 6SE and I plan to get the new SE soon. It’s not a big smart phone at all…and I really prefer the IPhone over the others.
I had a flip phone for a long time…until it finally died. I wasn’t sure what to get, but this is my second IPhone and I’m looking forward to the new one.
Go to a Verizon or ATT store and pick up the phones and see how they fit. See what fits in your pockets. See what they have that you might like. You don’t have to buy from them, but you can certainly get the feel of what they have.
I get it about wanting to keep phone in pocket. I try to do so at all times, partly to keep from loosing track of the danged thing when I lay it down somewhere in the house. Almost all my clothing (and PJs) have a pocket that can hold my iphone SE, but prior to having smartphones I did same with my old flipphones (they were thicker but smaller… very handy
).
I don’t know anything about Sprint plans or how the transition to T Mobile will be done, but if you don’t need data, you should check out the T Mobile 55+ plans for your H and D (assuming your H is over 55) and you could get a separate talk & text only plan somewhere. We were on a family plan with 4 lines (but only 3 smart phones). Then D went to her own plan with her new H, so S and I switched to a 55+ plan (limited to 2 lines) and H is on a cheap prepaid plan with T Mobile. Or you could look at Consumer Cellular, which has two different flip phones for $30 and $50. Lots of inexpensive options if you don’t need data!
Is there anything else out there as small as the I-Phone SE? I have the SE, and LOVE the size, but evidently it has very very little memory (16GB). I remove all photos periodically, have no music, and a number of APPS which take up about 20% of the memory. The Storage section shows that more than half of the memory is used by “other” . The system takes up 7 GB. And I know of no way to add memory to the SE … or is there?